Ironton Fighting Tigers head coach Travis Wylie said his team’s success will hinge on 5 things: Connor Kleinman, Jon Wylie, Brady Moatz, Tommy Sheridan and Chaydan Kerns.
For Wylie, those 5 players are all seniors and he said their leadership holds the key.
“I really think it’s leadership from the senior class and knowing what’s at stake every day,” said Wylie. “They want to get better every day. And they bring a good attitude day in and day out. We’ve got some straight baseball players. Some of them know the game, but they just don’t have a lot of experience at the varsity level. They do hustle and go at it every day.”
With the leadership providing the motivation off the field, the team’s pitching will be the biggest key on the field.
Kerns and junior Ian Ginger lead the pitching staff which will be without Jon Wylie’s services after off-season shoulder surgery will prevent him from taking the mound. Wylie can bat and run the bases, but he won’t be pitching until next fall when he plays for the Xaviers Musketeers after signing a letter-of-intent this spring.
“That’s an arm you just can’t replace,” coach Wylie said of his son. “But we’ve got some arms with Kerns and Ginger. We’ll lean on them heavily. And they’ve got the stuff to take that kind of pressure.”
Also in the mix will be sophomores Braydon Baker, Dawson Philyaw and Tanner Kleinman.
“We’ve got some young arms, too. Baker will be up in the rotation. Philyaw has thrown well and another sophomore Tanner Kleinman will be thrown into the mix. We have to get some innings out of those guys, but overall I think they’ll throw strikes,” said coach Wylie.
The area of the most concern is at the plate.
“On the offensive side, we’ve got to get them on, get them over and get them in,” said Wylie, quoting an old baseball adage.
Although there is a lack of experience in the batting lineup, coach Wylie remains optimistic.
“I think it’s gotten better. Their swings are better balanced this year. I think they’ve got a better approach to things. We have some way to go with that. We still have some guys not knowing what they can do at the plate,” said coach Wylie.
“We’ve got to find ways to score. Whoever can do that can play. We have positions in the lineup and even in the field and at the plate that still have to be filled. If you told me to put a starting lineup out there, it would be different tomorrow than it is today.”
One thing the team does have is good speed.
“We’re going to run all the time and let the cards fall where they may,” said coach Wylie.
Besides having good pitching, coach Wylie said the Fighting Tigers should be a good defensive team to back up his pitchers.
“Our defense should be solid. We’ve got Conner Kleinman and Chaydan Kerns. They play the middle and so that experience will pay off. We have some guys at the corners who will be new varsity faces,” said coach Wylie.
“Ginger who will anchor the outfield in centerfield. Baker will be that guy who is a utility guy who can play a lot of positions for us. Defensively, he has a feel for the game,” said coach Wylie. “But our pitchers can’t give up the free base. They have to challenge the hitters.”
Ironton Fighting Tigers
2024 Baseball Roster
No. Player Gr.
14 Connor Kleinman Sr.
8 Jon Wylie Sr.
13 Brady Moatz Sr.
4 Tommy Sheridan Sr.
24 Chaydan Kerns Sr.
11 Tyler Roach Jr.
5 Nick Sites Jr.
33 Clayton Porter Jr.
44 Brady Meadows Jr.
16 Ian Ginger Jr.
20 Jayson Maddy Jr.
15 Dawson Philyaw So.
9 Tanner Kleinman So.
22 Nate Sloan So.
7 Braydon Baker So.
25 Gabe Fitzpatrick So.
30 Tyson Harvey Fr.
28 Ethan Sutton Fr.
32 Carter Bridges Fr.
21 Bryson Kerns Fr.
Head coach: Travis Wylie
Assistant coaches: Josh Pancake, Blair Demetroules, Scott Meadows, Danny Layne, Tim Collins, Keith Frazer
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